Game Consoles Keep Pace in a Tablet World

11/30/2012 4:20AM

Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo sold a jaw-dropping 1.98 million consoles in the U.S. last week - an astonishing accomplishment for an industry that is facing enormous pressure from emerging gaming platforms, like the iPad. The WSJ's Juro Osawa has the details.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... the ... videogame console states to come back over the Thanksgiving holidays ... the sales on Black Friday ... looking very promising indeed with me to discuss this trend is euro fell as ... our technology reporter here and honk on ... Joe everyone's been talking about the death of video game console slip that ... popularity of the I phone in the AIPAC but actually they seem to done really well on Black Friday tell me why ... the past week ... the scene of the first week of the holiday season ... for a shopping ... days so and together three major videogame console maker sold about two million ... consoles and that that's you know Nintendo ... with its new console when we you ... and Sundays the PlayStation three and Microsoft's Xbox three sixty ... so aam ... those of you know ... that ... look like it looks like they are doing quite well ... in this in the holiday season and ... this comes as it's a rite of the time when ... not if the person to play games with their smartphones and tablets ... so you know people wondering whether ... you don't ... whether and how much this will affect ... the demand for the eighteen spot ... during the holiday season seems to be the people still buy those you know ... actual hardware consoles ... there was a lot of excitement around the we you which is their new console now this comes at a crucial time for Nintendo because it just suffered its first loss analysts three decades I've recently ... um but that did the worst ... out of all the three console so Microsoft's Xbox ... and Sony space station to get much better once that ... of the numbers the US on the Wii U's so it about the Nintendo announced that the above four hundred thousands of EU units ... in the first week and a ... that that is that was fewer than the other two major consoles but at the same than expected demand is actually a strong ... buy a lot of retail stores in us are running out of we you ... and ... you know a lot of places that sold out ... and ... um possibly supply is not really catching up in the manufacturing of this new console ... is maybe not quite up to speed I will see how this picks up ... in coming weeks yet ... and was tell us more generally about ... the advent of that the games that you have a new I phone and I pad ... versus the traditional videogame console does this mean that couples are coming back ... well it's a bit too early to tell this all this isn't just our band and Dom ... you know the challenges the still of that the Philly this long week doesn't really change everything you know ... and for Nintendo's that's particularly in important question because ... Nintendo not only makes hardware but they also make you know Mary Ellen those duties and software ... that's very important part of the business ... so I they are really keep in the software on the floor there in all ... to be played on their own hardware ... machine ... and out in the making those available on I Phones or you know other tablets ... so aam ... you know ... whether people is us will still be willing to pay for this dedicated videogame machines ... instead of the no playing games on the I phone so through one question from Nintendo and ... will be that you know ... the talents that God will be still facing Nintendo in the coming months now ... absent that I'll be watching that progressively you to see how that goes thanks so much Joe Salah ... technology correspondent Wall Street Journal and Hong Kong